Akasa adds Mumbai–Hanoi flights

Akasa Air will start nonstop flights between Mumbai and Hanoi on September 4, adding Vietnam’s capital to the carrier’s overseas map. (akasaair.com) The airline said it will operate the route four times a week. Hanoi becomes Akasa’s seventh international destination. (akasaair.com) The move extends Akasa’s push beyond the Gulf into South and Southeast Asia, where Indian carriers have been adding seats on leisure and visiting-friends-and-relatives routes. Skift reported Akasa’s Gulf expansion has been constrained by regional disruption tied to the Iran war, even as it opened new Southeast Asia options. (skift.com) Vietnam has become a bigger target for Indian airlines as traffic has climbed and more nonstop links have been added from major Indian cities. Aviation A2Z reported India-Vietnam passenger traffic rose from about 620,000 in 2023 to 950,000 in 2024, alongside expansion by IndiGo, Air India, VietJet and Vietnam Airlines. (aviationa2z.com) For Akasa, the Hanoi launch also fits a fleet plan built around Boeing 737 MAX jets. The airline said in January 2024 that it had a firm order book of 226 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft after adding 150 more planes at Wings India. (akasaair.com) That order book is starting to show up in the operating fleet. CNBC-TV18 reported on March 30 that Akasa had expanded to 37 aircraft after taking delivery of its 36th and 37th Boeing 737 MAX jets. (cnbctv18.com) Akasa began flying in August 2022, and Hanoi gives it another international point less than four years later. The next test is whether four weekly flights from Mumbai can win a share of India’s fast-growing Vietnam travel market. (akasaair.com)